Method of extracting rosin from resinous wood.



E. E. LICHTENTHAELER. :METHOD or EXTRACTING msm PROM REslNoUs Woon.

APPLICATION TILED HAR, 17, 19ML Patented July 28, 191.4.

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To all whom il) carriera:

Be it known that VvHANK Lic/Hm THAELER., a citizen of tnv, Unte Sanzs, residing fit-Newton, in the county Gf Mldde# 59X nd Siate of Massachusntts, have in "exta certain, new anf usefu Impmvc menta '1n Meth ls of Extracting Rcssn from Resnous Wood; and I do hereby aclare the olcwng toi be n. ud. clear5 und eXaLct. descrption of the. invention, web asY wr ambie others skilled in the ari; to which 1t appermins to make and use the same.

T pregunt invention relata@ tc; a meth extmcting 2 from res'nous Woods, and more parclmry to a mfan oit' removing mail; imm r v *wus 'pine www.

The object of "the zw nt Imam Q produce a metlfwd s? 'dm resins from resinuus woud mminn, which ig u on with cf; fupxzmw mi@ and fffwm muy oper-Med uppnraixfs and by means of which a gawd product 3fm be prmuced upon a 'Ommrca basis; and at a reasonable nmnufactnrng @USL The present invention, in its broader as parts, contemphluq the @xmcton or" resin from ali kh Uf resin-0u# wom: y Suhjrv ing -ine wmhf. Ln brat and Seam in n vacuum.

The prcsm rrvcnifm, in 'ite 'more znted aspects, comempntfr; mori# parruari' exmzwtfm of rnSn or mfophony m resin aus pine wan-l Referring u) roslnous pine Wam" Lcxrarly (,w the Wand sf the UY@ pine rre@ of ha Szmhezrn "1L United Sian tim of turpnrfait;

gwnfm@ scntial ou Y rfsn) togthffr wld y, tvrpneol Wi pr nt, nm :Ni gunn nach ohrr and exit in Lm fiumi as mix' ture which is A oleo-1125i plm x .ad The @iin-resin., as i exlst in its n uxa statcin the wood or as it Kudos fram thx? wood, cfmans the m'pem'nr and raisiny together with pine nih when present, which are made up of denit chmfca cmupnurads. They are, however, Cupabe of being easily decomposfed inta 0th( emm wirrnpoums by heat vfzomrm of impentme, pim gsii an@ rosn is much greater MEI-3.

@grrr/f mndton than in a decomim 00B- don. sa that from fr commercial fztanpoint is partcuary desirable. t0 extra@ them from the wond without decompostifm. That tu say, they shouid be exracted from the, wood unahan chemjcaly from the con di um in which t ey exist in the wood. The mi. ,gamine an im oil are sucenty VOM- tie so hat it been possible to remove them from the wund by various processes wthnu subjesng fhe. vwo-d to sucent haar if, decompose them. The rusia, how even resifstf extraction by the metheds employed for removing the -ur' and pir: fr? ,mr therefore, f aecn mtr @bid se'pnratey by Som@ ismai.

E` 'have frscovere ih ai 1f he refmoua prix@ 'wood be pmi migan air-iight recepafre im@ ihare sub1 e whim thi-,js are ha heir natural and undecora- Wood as a,

solute fessure within the receptacle or how high tie temperature. However, if steam. is present, it assists the transformation of the resin from a liquid to a vapor stilte, so that if certain critical conditions of presf sure and temperature are realized, the rosin can be compelled to leave the wood in a vaporized condition. Even in the presenceI of steam, the rosin will notpa'ss frein n liquid to a vapor state no matter how high the temperature, unless the pressure of the surrounding space is less than a. certain critical maximum. That is to say, there is a cer-- tain critical pressure below which the surrounding s ace must be maintained if the rosin is to e 'vaporized in the presence of steam. This critical pressure may he desigA nate-d as the critical maximum pressure ol vaporizstion of resin in the presence ci steam. Moreover, even in the presence of steam, the rosin will not pass from a liquil to a vapor state no matter hon' low the pressure, 'unless the temperature is greater than s certain critical minimum. That is to soy, there is e certain critical temperature above which it is necessary to heat the .resin if the resin is to be vnporized in the presence ot steam. This critical temperature may be designated as the critical minimum temperature of vaporization of resin in the presence of steam. 1f the resinous pine Wood is put into an eir-tight receptacle which is exhausted to a Vacuum of absolute pressure less than the critical maximum pressure of vaporization of rosin 'in the presence of steam and there subjected to steam et a temperature higher than the critical minimum temperature of. Vaporization of rosin in the presence of steam, the rosin can be imode to leave the Wood in a vaporous mixture with the steam, and this vaporous mixture of rosin and steam een be' condensed and the rosin obtained in the same chemical condition in which it existed in the Wood.

In the drawing, the preferred formot np perctus used in extracting rosin from resinous Wood in accordance with the method of the present invention is diagrammatically illustrated in elevation.

Referring to the drawing, a charge of resinous Wood is put into n closed, nir-tight receptacle or retort Q which provided with an air-tight door fi. The wood 6 in billet form is loaded onto e car S and run into the receptacle Q. `While it is preferred to use the Y Woo-d in billet form because it in better sizes for charcoal upon subsequent destruetive distillation, nevertheless, the present invention is not limited to the treatment oi Wood in hillet form, because, under some cir4 cumstences, it muy he advantageous to comminute or chip the Wood before it is put into the receptacle. A steam pipe l0, having o f-ilve li, is provided for discharging steam through distributing nozzles l2 into the receptncle. Weiterer condenser 'le is connected hy means of e )ipe lo to the ceptacle. The condenser iii consists oi e number of vertical condenser moes l extendinor between two heads or diaphragme 20. laster is admitted through s water con nec-tion QQ, provide-d with n valve 24, into the intertubular space of the 'condenser lto maintain it at the required temperature so that the distillate from the Wood is densed as it flows downward through the condenser tubes 1S. The condensate ecllected in two receivers 26 and 28 which. are connected through valves 30 and 32 respeo tively with the drain pipe 34 coming from the condenser le. The receivers 2 and 28 are provided with discharge or drip Valves 36 and 38 by means of which the collected 26 and 2S are connected through valves 4:0 and 42 respectively with the exhaust pipe #le lending to av vacuum pump le which mein mins s. vacuum in the entire apparatus. cocks 48 und 58, located just helow valves 40 and 42, ere provided for ietting air into the receivers 26 and 28 resp etiveiy9 The method carried on with the iilustreted apparatus and with particular re r ence to the extraction of resin from the res inous deed p ine wood, followszw'f he charge of Wood 6 is run into the receptacle 2 and the door 4 is clamped in place. The valve 9.4 is opened to admit water to the condenser L4 and the valves 3G, 32, and 42 are opened to connect the apparat-us to the vacuum pump i6, which exhausts the air from the entire apparatus. After the re quired vacuum is established, one of the receivers, say for example the receiver 28, is shutoff from the rest oi the apparatus hy closing the valves 32 and 42, The valve 1l into the receptacle 2 through the nozzles i2. While it is preferred to superheet the steam to the required temperature, heet may be applied directly to the receptacle to 'assist in maintaining the required temperature in the receptacle or to increase the temperature of the steam. As the presence of steam is one of' the essentiel conditions of the present methodv steam must be present in the receptacle, but it might be introduced at a lower temperature, or possibly even as Water, if the receptacle were independently heated. As soon es the Wood is heated by the steam, the distillate leave the Wood in a vaporous mixture with the steam. The Vaporous mixture passes over into the condenser lli where it is condensed and from which it runs into the receiver 26. The first. tion of the distillate is practically all turpentine, because turpentine is more easily voporized than the other constituents et the oleo-resin in the Wood. As the ex action is continued, the distillate grows prifgres eondensate he drawn od. The receivers is then opened to admit 'superheeted steam Y lst) rather than limitation and to include other resins having the characteristics of rosin.,

While the preferred method has been illustrated and described, it. is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to all the details set forth in the deseri tion, but may be embodied in other met iods within the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

l. The method lof extracting rosin from resinous Wood which consists in putting the wood in an air-tight receptacle, 1n exhausting the receptacle and in subjecting the wood to the action of heat and steam to cause the rosiu to leave the Wood in a vaporous mixture with the steam, and in condensing the vaporous mixture of rosin and steam.

2. The method of extracting rosin from resinous Wood which consists in putting the wood iu an air-tight receptacle, in exhausting the receptacle to about 2 pounds per square inch absolute pressure and subjecting the wood to steam at a temperature of about 250O centigrade to cause the rosin to leave the Wood in a vaporous mixture with the steam, and in condensing the vaporous mixture of r'osin and steam.

3. The method of extracting'rosin from sa and subjecting the Wood to steam at temperature higher than about 230" cent-igrade to cause the'rosin to leave the Wood in a vaporous mixture with the steam, and in condensing the vaporous mixture of rosin and steam.

4. The method of'extraoting rosin from resinous wood which consists in putting the Wood into an airtight receptacle, in eX- hausting the receptacle to an absolute pressure less than the critical maximum pressure of vaporization of rosin in the presence of steam and subjecting the Wood to steam at a.

temperature higher than the critical mini-` mum temperature of vaporization of rosin in the presence of steam to cause the rosin to leave the Wood in a Vaporous mixture with the steam, and in condenslng the va porous mixture of rosin and steam.

FRANK E. LICHTENTHAELER. 

